Read Online Best Friends With Benefits (Most Likely To) by Candy Sloane - Free Book Online
Authors: Candy Sloane
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crush on.
But this was Alec. She couldn’t have a crush on him. At least Before Fucking Valerie couldn’t.
“So,” Cynthia gushed, “are you guys together now?”
Val shook her head.
Cynthia’s face twisted in confusion. “You two have always been your own thing.”
She supposed that was true, but Cynthia didn’t know the whole story. Valerie had never told her about the day Alec tried to turn their friendship into everything. The day after graduation, he’d come to her house with his life strapped to his back asking her to gamble on his future, what he said could be their future, rather than go after her own.
She wanted to be able to say yes, but she knew back then that Alec couldn’t be her savior when he still needed one so badly. He’d played off her rejection that day, but they hadn’t spoken for almost two years. It took almost five more to repair what had broken, to get their friendship back on solid ground, and now they were playing roulette yet again.
“Here,” Cynthia said, reaching into her pocket and sliding something shiny across the table.
“A condom?” Val shout-whispered, hiding it in her pocket before anyone could see.
“I brought a bunch of them. After last night I thought you might need one.”
Val hadn’t even thought of it. She definitely hadn’t brought some. In all her rules that morning, she hadn’t even talked to Alec about safe sex. Of course, if she knew him like she did, he’d brought a bunch of them, too.
“Thanks,” Val said, even as uncertainty boomed and cracked through her. She and Alec were going to have sex.
She and Alec were going to have sex.
“Oh my God.” Cynthia put her hand to her mouth and whispered between her fingers, “He’s coming over here.”
“Don’t say anything,” Val scolded, once again remembering this same scene played out inside the walls of their high school.
Back then, Alec had even been there sometimes sitting next to Cynthia in silence, his coffee brown eyes watching Valerie as the boy she liked hit their cafeteria table. But now he stood above them in a tight black T-shirt and tighter black jeans, a studded belt around his waist, his tattoos shadows in the sun—a rock star at a picnic.
“You want to be on my team for this crap?” The same eyes that had watched her orgasm into his mouth that morning were on her now.
“Team?” Val asked.
“For the obstacle course. You guys haven’t been listening, have you?” A roguish sneer flashed on his lips.
“No, we were listening.” Cynthia spoke fast. “She just felt bad because I don’t have a partner. But I’m not participating anyway. I have a bad…” She paused, her save almost perfect. “Foot,” she finished, wearing a cantaloupe slice of a smile.
“Sure, I’ll be on your team.” The words came out breathy. Not at all in the casual way they should have when she responded to Alec about such a simple question.
“Okay,” he drawled like he’d noted it, too, “let’s get set up, then.”
She rose and walked with him to where the other teams were waiting. A potato sack lay on the ground in front of them. Their paired-off classmates gathered in front of their own potato sacks. She glanced down the line and saw Gideon on a team with Georgia Cahill—past head cheerleader, always jerk—the girl leader of the group who’d called her Barking .
Was she thinking that word now?
Her blond hair was up in a high ponytail. She wore napkin-sized white shorts and a red halter top, her body all tan and curves. Gideon’s looks had caught up to hers, that was for sure, but what the hell were they doing on the same team?
Why did she care? She had her own awkward pairing to worry about.
Gideon noticed her, smiled, and waved.
She responded in kind, but something about his smile, the way it curled up on only one side, made it seem like he knew something. The same thing Cynthia now knew.
“You didn’t tell him, did you?” Valerie had no right to ask, but standing
But this was Alec. She couldn’t have a crush on him. At least Before Fucking Valerie couldn’t.
“So,” Cynthia gushed, “are you guys together now?”
Val shook her head.
Cynthia’s face twisted in confusion. “You two have always been your own thing.”
She supposed that was true, but Cynthia didn’t know the whole story. Valerie had never told her about the day Alec tried to turn their friendship into everything. The day after graduation, he’d come to her house with his life strapped to his back asking her to gamble on his future, what he said could be their future, rather than go after her own.
She wanted to be able to say yes, but she knew back then that Alec couldn’t be her savior when he still needed one so badly. He’d played off her rejection that day, but they hadn’t spoken for almost two years. It took almost five more to repair what had broken, to get their friendship back on solid ground, and now they were playing roulette yet again.
“Here,” Cynthia said, reaching into her pocket and sliding something shiny across the table.
“A condom?” Val shout-whispered, hiding it in her pocket before anyone could see.
“I brought a bunch of them. After last night I thought you might need one.”
Val hadn’t even thought of it. She definitely hadn’t brought some. In all her rules that morning, she hadn’t even talked to Alec about safe sex. Of course, if she knew him like she did, he’d brought a bunch of them, too.
“Thanks,” Val said, even as uncertainty boomed and cracked through her. She and Alec were going to have sex.
She and Alec were going to have sex.
“Oh my God.” Cynthia put her hand to her mouth and whispered between her fingers, “He’s coming over here.”
“Don’t say anything,” Val scolded, once again remembering this same scene played out inside the walls of their high school.
Back then, Alec had even been there sometimes sitting next to Cynthia in silence, his coffee brown eyes watching Valerie as the boy she liked hit their cafeteria table. But now he stood above them in a tight black T-shirt and tighter black jeans, a studded belt around his waist, his tattoos shadows in the sun—a rock star at a picnic.
“You want to be on my team for this crap?” The same eyes that had watched her orgasm into his mouth that morning were on her now.
“Team?” Val asked.
“For the obstacle course. You guys haven’t been listening, have you?” A roguish sneer flashed on his lips.
“No, we were listening.” Cynthia spoke fast. “She just felt bad because I don’t have a partner. But I’m not participating anyway. I have a bad…” She paused, her save almost perfect. “Foot,” she finished, wearing a cantaloupe slice of a smile.
“Sure, I’ll be on your team.” The words came out breathy. Not at all in the casual way they should have when she responded to Alec about such a simple question.
“Okay,” he drawled like he’d noted it, too, “let’s get set up, then.”
She rose and walked with him to where the other teams were waiting. A potato sack lay on the ground in front of them. Their paired-off classmates gathered in front of their own potato sacks. She glanced down the line and saw Gideon on a team with Georgia Cahill—past head cheerleader, always jerk—the girl leader of the group who’d called her Barking .
Was she thinking that word now?
Her blond hair was up in a high ponytail. She wore napkin-sized white shorts and a red halter top, her body all tan and curves. Gideon’s looks had caught up to hers, that was for sure, but what the hell were they doing on the same team?
Why did she care? She had her own awkward pairing to worry about.
Gideon noticed her, smiled, and waved.
She responded in kind, but something about his smile, the way it curled up on only one side, made it seem like he knew something. The same thing Cynthia now knew.
“You didn’t tell him, did you?” Valerie had no right to ask, but standing
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